My grocery and other shopping savings in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area. Projects around the house and beginning home school adventures.
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Triple Clicks

Thursday, May 29, 2014

I started on some sewing projects yesterday. To figure out my 'new' sewing machine, I made me a skirt from a few old pairs of pants. My sewing machine is a hand-me-down from my mother in law made around 1925, but at least it has electric. :) So I cut up some pants and going off pictures I saw on Pinterest, I started pinning pieces together and sewing them on. If I had been able to do it all in one sitting, it would have been done in a few hours. As it sat, I couldn't do that. So I did most of it last night and finished this morning.

It has a few rough places, but doesn't look too bad and should be pretty comfortable. Anything has to better than hot jeans and I've been wanting skirts..so here's my solution. I have material and some nicer capris I plan on making a nice skirt out of.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The kids and I went shopping yesterday. Not quite sure I would call it fun, but I got a few things I needed. My husband decided we need another potty chair for downstairs, we are working on potty training our 2 1/2 year old.. I also needed some sewing supplies, a part for the lawn mower and wanted to go to Dollar Tree, just because. I did have a few other stores on my list, but Andrew started throwing fits and those stores did not get gone to. Our lawn mower (I truly have no idea how old it is) decided it was going to have a cracked fuel line... Very nice. Filled the gas tank up, and out pours gas. Thankfully a neighbor helped pull the fuel line off the carburetor and we got the majority of the gas. (I only look like I know what I'm talking about because I called my dad!) So... I went the local parts store (Sturdevants around here) and got a new fuel line.. According to the guy at the store, I just need some muscle and it's pretty easy to fix. Since I really don't like the small engine mechanic here in town, I am doing this on my own. Thank you YouTube videos and a daddy a phone call away. And possibly the neighbor-we'll see if he sees me. That part cost $1.60.I decided to hit Walmart so I didn't drag my toddlers through 4 different specialty stores. Potty Chair $9.88Elastic for sewing 2 at 1.77 total of $3.54Three White thread spools at $2.27 each $6.81One Beige thread spool at $2.27Bra extender $1.77Total of $27.04I realized I forgot nursing pads. So I'm going without disposables for another week, I only use them when I go to the city, anyway. Dollar TreeHorse Toy Animal Crackers-2 (kids say they taste like ginger, pink bag of frosted)Rubber Ball-2Little Girl Hair Clips-2Dish SoapCookies for mommy2 4 pack juice boxesThe kids got toys before Andrew decided he was going to be naughty. He lost his shortly after for a few hours. Total of 11.66We stopped at Subway and got lunch for everybody-the kids got some awesome reusable little back pack things with their meals. I wanted to get me an ice coffee... But thanks to construction and traffic I couldn't get to where I wanted to go. On the list for today is fixing the lawn mower, laundry, walk, dishes, lunch in crock pot at noon (Sesame seed chicken), plant tomatoes and cucumbers-I know, I'm LATE..might get some pots and plant them inside since I caught the dog digging up my potatoes. That's all I can think of for now, but I know I have a ton more to do.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Here's some of our favorite recipes straight from my recipe box. I'll make a new section on the right hand side for these so they will be easier to find.. I'm really bad about remembering to take the camera to the kitchen when I cook to take pictures, so no pictures of these. Lasagna-this recipe I got from my mom, so I'm not sure where it came from. 2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained3/4 cup chopped onion3/4 teaspoon garlic powder3/4 tsp oregano1 quart tomatoes16 ounces tomato sauce2 tablespoon sugar1 teaspoon saltMix all together and bring to boil, then turn down to simmer while gathering the rest. 24 ounce cream cheese, ricotta cheese or instant rice1 cup parmesan cheese (I usually use way more than that, but don't measure)3/4 pound mozarella cheese, shredded or grated (again, usually use more)1 package lasagna noodles (enough for two full layers)Layer: meat, noodles, cheeses. End with meat and cheese on top. With the cheese I don't measure, we like cheesy lasagna so I just put on until it looks good. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or 200 for 3-4 hours. Let set 15 minutes before serving (or just enough time to use the broiler to make garlic bread). Easy Taco Tamale Pie-I got this recipe when Andrew was a baby, It was probably from Kraft, but I'm not sure. 2 lb ground beef1 bag whole kernel corn16 oz jar picante sauce1 bag shredded taco cheese 2 boxes corn muffin mixHeat oven to 375. Cook beef in skillet and drain. Put the meat in a 9x13 casserole dish, mix in Picante sauce, corn and cheese. Prepare corn muffin mix and drop on top of beef mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until corn muffin topping is golden brown.Sloppy Joes-this is another one from my mom8 oz drained tomato sauce1 medium onion, chopped1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon mustard2 tsp worcestershire sauce2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained1/4 cup brown sugar1/4 cup vinegar2 tablespoon BBQ sauce2 tsp saltMix and simmer for 20 minutes, serveMy husband really likes rice to eat with this instead of or along with hamburger buns. Sweet Hawaiian Chicken in the Crock Pot-This was one that was circulating around Facebook and Dennis wanted to try it. The jury is still out on it. 2 lbs chicken tenderloin, diced1 cup pineapple juice1/2 cup brown sugar1/3 soy sauceMarinate overnight. Cook 6-8 hours. Serve with rice. The first time I cooked this, I used completely frozen chicken, so I had to shred it when it was done cooking instead of starting with diced.. This last time I diced it and it was dry. So...we are still deciding if we like this.

Friday, May 16, 2014

It's been a little crazy around here. We all had some sort of sinus stuff, baby Grace is still congested and just not feeling well. After our shopping trip I cracked my head on the freezer door putting groceries away.. That one hurt. My head is still a little tender in that spot a week later. The menu this month is more detailed than it usually is. I'm hoping it will help me keep dinners and lunches straight. I also gained some inspiration from posts on Pinterest on how to menu plan. Next month I might even type it up on excel..we'll see. For now it's just on a notebook paper with a column for Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each line is a day. Our breakfasts barely vary-eggs, bacon, toast, grits, cereal, OJ, coffee and pancaked or french toast on the weekends. Our lunches I have a space for Dennis' lunch-which we will switch back and forth from egg salad to tuna salad sandwiches and a space for our lunches-everything from tuna salad, to grilled cheese to pizza bites. The dinners I planned a dinner for about every third day, spaghetti and pizza are one night dinners around here. I'll keep putting recipes under a page, so if you want a recipe, keep an eye out on the extra pages, I'll try write a post on them, but I don't always get there. :) We did have a free dinner this week, Dennis did a survey and we got to review some pizzas. :) We love a supper we get paid for eating. And the pizzas weren't bad either. Dinner meals are spaghetti, Lasagna, Pizza and breadsticks, enchiladas (my husband calls them burritos), Sweet Hawaiian Chicken, sloppy joes, taco tamale pie, sesame seed chicken. And most of those are repeated at least twice throughout the month. I'll do a post on Lasagna soon, but right now I a very unhappy Grace because big brother just woke her up...AGAIN.... :(

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Well, we just did another shopping trip. I'm not sure having three young ones on a morning long shopping trip will ever get any easier. It's certainly not getting any easier on the budget. We had to increase the budget by $50 out of necessity, which means we drive the van less-that's almost a tank of gas for the van. Pork is going up just like everything else, so since Sam's bacon is no longer the cheapest (at least for this month), I decided to get GOOD stuff since I had to pay full price. So I went to the local butcher and got the good stuff, and now I'm second guessing myself because I'm worried it won't last the month-they slice theirs thicker. I went to three stores this time. I skipped Dollar Tree because Andrew was grumpy and my patience was thinning. Fareway Food StoresFiora toilet paper 12 pack 6.49Francesco Rinaldi Pasta Sauce 3 at 1.38 each 4.14Olive Oil 8.99Clabber Girl Corn Starch 1.39Mild Cheddar Chunk Cheese 2.89Mild cheddar Chunk Cheese 3.21Mozarella Chunk Cheese 3.35Mozarella Chunk Cheese 3.11 The chunk cheese was cheaper than buying the pre shedded from Sam's as I have been doing. Looking at my receipt I can tell I had mommy brain even with a list in front me, I was supposed to get $10 worth of each cheese. OOPS.Pepperoni 3 at 2.99 each 8.97Sweet Cream Butter 4 at 2.99 each 11.96Ground Beef 10 lb tube 2.99 a lb 30.06Cayenne Pepper 2 at .75 1.50Yeast 3.99Sour Cream 1.88Lipton Tea Bags 3.69Ziploc Bags 2 at 1.50 each 3.00Pineapple Orange Juice 6 pack 2.69Ricotta Cheese 1.99Sweet and Zesty Famous Dave's BBQ Sauce 2.99Refried Beans 1.39Jolly Time Popcorn Seeds 3.49Tortillas 2.49Lettuce Head 1.29Pineapple 2.68Onions 2.07Easter Candy on sale 2 at .99Total of 128.98Sam's ClubCat Food 18.5 lbs 9.98Vinegar 2 gallons 3.58French fries 6.98Sun Maid Raisins 7.67Ham for Sandwiches 6.98Sunny D 24 pack 5.97Minute Maid 2 at 5.48 10.96Frosted Flakes 6.58Premade Hamburger Patties 6 lbs 16.98Garlic Powder 6.38Onion Powder 4.38Chicken Breast 6 pounds 11.98Oats and Honey Granola Bars 7.93Whole Dill Pickles gallon 4.62Velveeta 2 pack 10.88Tuna 60 oz 8.98Hamburger Buns 2.38Chips single serving variety pack 9.98Total of 151.78Salem Farmer's Market (Our local grocery store actually had good deals!)Large Eggs one dozen 6 at 1.58 each 9.48Apple Juice 2 at .99 each 1.98Fun Dogs 7 at .69 each 4.83Watermelon .39 per pound 10.28 lb 4.01Total 21.52EarthGrains Bakery Outlet ( I didn't get a detailed receipt from here, so I'm just going to list what I got and the total)8 loaves breadCookiesDonuts single serve 2 at .50Juice 2 at .99Eich's Meat Market (our local butcher)Approximately 4 pounds of bacon 24.49I will share my meal plan next week. Have a Happy Mother's Day!